This ngon-dro is a gong-ter revealed specifically for Jetsun Pema Rinpoche and Her (i.e., Mr. Kazi's) Western students by H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche. So first of all, if you have received it from a bona fide source (which you have), Guru Rinpoche intended it for you. What an incredible thought! Because it is so fresh, it carries incredible blessings and swift accomplishment. As Mr. Kazi used to say (and Susan [haydenlaw] hinted at above, it is not just a ngon-dro. It is the kind of very simple Dzogchen sadhana a highly accomplished yogi might do after having completed so many other, more complex and extensive sadhanas. So don't undervalue this sadhana. Mr. Kazi did it every single day, and He received it after He was realized.

In terms of its being a ngon-dro, you can pretty much finish each of its five sections in 3-4 days each (four 3-hour sessions per day). So just do it.

As Susan has also said, Mr. Kazi gave His students the Longchen Nyingthig ngon-dro after completing this short ngon-dro. However, you could easily make this short ngon-dro your lifetime practice. It's not lacking anything. Whether other Teachers would/will accept this ngon-dro before allowing you to go on to other practices, that's up to Them. But you shouldn't think that this practice is higher than that practice. Really accomplish any one practice and the two purposes (of self and others) are served. Remember that the great Guru, Khyentse Wangpo realized while doing Vajrasattvas within ngon-dro. Also remember that H.H. Chatral Rinpoche has done 14 ngon-dro.

Today is Mr. Kazi's three-year parinirvana anniversary; so I'm off to my cushion. Good luck and best wishes.

I was relying on Allan's memory. I told him a few weeks ago that it was the fourth anniversary and he said I was wrong. Glad someone actually writes stuff down.

Thanks.

That's funny - I got an email from Allan too and wrote him back with the information about it being 2009. I double checked it with another student of Mr. Kazi's here and she had also made a note of the date.

Nilasarasvati wrote:For these reasons I'm assuming, once I'm finished, that most Lamas will expect me to accumulate a "normal" size Ngondro (which, by the way, I do want to do! In fact I wish I'd started with one!). That said...basically...I feel discouraged in the process of accumulating this one

This isn't necessarily true. And it could depend on your view and confidence. For example, I have 2 friends who completed the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, under instruction from Chagdud Tulku. He allowed his students to accumulate all parts simultaneously. Then both these individuals went to another teacher, who requires his students to accumulate each part sequentially, i.e. you can't count any madala offerings until you've done all your prostrations, etc. One of my friends had the view and faith that she had completed her ngondro. My other friend had some doubts about it, since the new teacher's requirements were different. So the first friend was allowed to go right into the next practice with the new teacher. My friend with doubts was asked to do 10,000 of each accumulation in a sequential way before moving on.